Salvation
by madmaxed
Summary: Cinder Fall has always prioritized her goals above all else. Yet, a chance encounter in the hallways of Beacon sends her through a chain of irrational decisions as she tries understand the new enigma in her life named Ruby Rose.
1. Hello

Ruby opened her eyes. For a few seconds, she listened to the soft sounds of her roommates' breathing, trying to figure what exactly woke her up when she saw the door gently close behind someone.

Curiosity pulled her from her warm bed sheets and she dropped onto the ground, following silently through the door while throwing a glance at the empty bed of her partner.

The hallways were empty, as they should due to the strict curfew Beacon had. No students should be roaming around at… Ruby had no idea what time it was and she forgot to bring her scroll with her, but judging by the angle the moonlight shone through the windows, it had to be well past midnight. So late that anyone caught in the halls would surely be punished with enough detention to last the month. Yet why was Weiss, the biggest stickler for rules and _the_ voice of reason of team RWBY walking around at this time?

There was a glimmer in Ruby's eyes as she caught the shadow of a figure turning the corner, and she silently stalked towards it, her back to the walls.

Swiftly, but not too fast as to cause a gale, RWBY tailed the dark figure, making sure to stay enough distance away to remain undetected but still keep track on her. The seconds turned into minutes and the minutes dragged onto what felt like hours.

 _Was this place always so twisty and complicated?_ Ruby wondered, turning yet another corner. She quickly lost track of where she was, her surroundings looking more and more unfamiliar in the weak moonlight. Ruby bit her bottom lip, her eyes never leaving her friend whose speed had now picked up.

 _Crap! Did she notice me?_

Ruby picked up the pace as well but Weiss was surprisingly fast and as Ruby turned the corner, the hall split into two paths and there was no hint of which direction her friend went.

"Dangit," Ruby whispered under her breath. "What should I do now?"

"Why are you following me?" A silky voice whispered into her ear and Ruby jumped into the air, her heart doing a similar feat out of her chest. When she landed, she violently spun around spewing apologies.

"I'm sorry Weiss, I just got really curious and I didn't mean to be nosy or anything, I just wanted to know what you were doing so late at night and…" Ruby blinked. "Wait, you're not Weiss."

The woman wore an amused expression as she looked down on the smaller girl. Her smoldering golden eyes pierced the darkness, sending an uneasy shiver down Ruby's spine.

 _Danger,_ whispered a small voice in the back of her head. _She's dangerous._

Ruby ignored it and gave an awkward smile.

"Oh hey, aren't you Mercury and Emerald's teammate? We met a bit ago outside my room."

"Yes, your name was... " The woman paused, as if to think. "Ruby wasn't it?"

"Yup!" Ruby said. "Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY!"

"Well then Ruby Rose, I'll ask one more time," the woman said, still wearing that smile that made Ruby so uncomfortable. "Why were you following me?"

"Honestly, I thought you were my teammate Weiss," Ruby said, scratching the back of her head, chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"Hmmm." Her gaze felt like fire, roaming through Ruby's mind, leaving scorched earth and ashes in its midst.

 _Dangerous,_ the voice whispered more insistently. Ruby didn't brush it off this time. There was something very familiar about this woman, and it was going to drive her nuts if she didn't find out.

"Well, it's late and I must get back to bed," the woman said, already retreating down the hall. "A pleasure meeting you… Ruby Rose."

"Wait, what's your name?" Ruby blurted.

The woman turned around slowly, a brow arched but still looking at Ruby with that amused expression. Kind of like how a kid looks at an ant before burning it with his magnifying glass. Ruby held back a shudder.

"Yeah, you know mine, but I don't know yours. Kind of unfair isn't it?" Ruby continued, not really paying attention to what she was saying. She was focusing all mental facilities to figuring out where she saw this woman before. She was so close recalling… so close…

"The world's not a fair place," the woman said, her smile finally faded and Ruby unconsciously reached for Crescent Rose on her back, only to grasp at empty air. Then faster than Ruby's eyes could follow, the woman vanished and then appeared right in front of her, just a breathe away. Ruby froze. Those mesmerizing eyes burned into her own, so bright they almost seemed to glow. There was a scent of smoke, the campfire kind, mixed with something else. Something sweet yet sharp. Ruby gulped.

"But I suppose you are right. It does feel _unfair_ doesn't it?" The woman brought her hand up to Ruby face and lightly brushed the back of her hand on the girl's cheek. It was only the gentlest of touches, barely even a graze, but Ruby flinched at the lingering burn the woman's touch left behind.

"My name," she whispered into Ruby's ear. "is Cinder Fall."

She leaned back observing Ruby's reaction, while Ruby just stood there wide eyed and jaw locked. Then her eyes widened further and she took in a sharp breath of realization.

"Wait! Could you like, stay still for just a second?" Ruby asked, quickly formed a makeshift mask with her index fingers and thumbs. She lifted it up to Cinder's face and her face contorted into grim shock.

Cinder's eyes narrowed.

"You're the one who broke into the transmission tower that night!" Ruby yelled, jumping back and inwardly cursing for not bringing Crescent Rose.

"Such a shame," Cinder sighed. "I rather liked you too."

And then a searing light filled the hallway, blinding Ruby before her world ended in darkness.

 **Author's Note: Hi, thanks for reading.**

 **I'm a fairly recent fan of the show and it's been occupying way too much space in my head for the past bit so I started this to free up my head a bit. I ended up being not quite sure what genres to put this under so it may be subject to change.  
**

 **I may also add some romance later in the story, but this will really depend on the flow and it'll be very minor in the whole scope of things.  
**

 **I'd greatly appreciate it if you could leave me some feedback through reviews or PMs since I'm trying to improve my skills and it would just make my day. Thanks again, have a good one!  
**


	2. Aftermath

It was a great morning. Weiss had woken up feeling refreshed; something she had been sorely missing for the past month. With a dainty yawn, she made her way to the bathroom, barely registering the empty bed that hung above her and began preparing for the day.

After she brushed her teeth, washed her face and opened her makeup kit, her roommates began to stir.

"Blakey, it's time to wakey!"

There was a groan. "Please don't call me Blakey."

"I won't if you get up!"

"Mm, ok."

"You're not getting up."

"Mn."

"Don't make me splash you with cold water."

"...you wouldn't dare."

"You know I would."

There was some shufflings sounds, then Yang and Blake entered the small space.

"Mornin'," Yang yawned, reaching over Weiss's shoulder for her toothbrush. Blake looked ready to murder but that's how she usually looked during mornings. She grabbed her own toothbrush, squeezed some paste and quickly left the cramped bathroom.

"Good morning," Weiss greeted, even gracing the statement with a rare smile.

"Ooh, someone's in a good mood today." Yang grinned as she squeezed some toothpaste onto her own brush.

"It's a beautiful morning." Weiss leaned over to the mirror as she applied her mascara. "Not to mention Ruby didn't wake me up with her incessant yelling today."

"Haha, her energy in the morning never ceases to amaze me," Yang said with a chuckle. She stuck her head out the door to see Blake had sat down on the bed and was slowly brushing her teeth while staring at the beds across with vacant eyes.

"Where is Ruby by the way?" She brought back her head and started brushing her teeth.

"No idea." Weiss closed her kit with a sharp snap and gave herself an approving once over. "My guess is she's running around with that endless energy somewhere."

"Hm." Yang frowned. Weiss left the bathroom to her wardrobe and threw the doors open. Bringing out her regular battle outfit, she proceeded to get dressed.

There were the sounds of rinses and spits from the bathroom before Yang emerged and headed to her own wardrobe.

"Kinda weird of her to head out so early though," she said, pulling off her pajamas.

"Yes but Ruby _is_ weird. I see nothing wrong your statement," Weiss smiled, buttoning her shirt.

"Ha, you know you love her."

"I tolerate her," Weiss replied with an airy wave of her hand.

"Sure, sure," Yang rolled her eyes.

Weiss's smile slowly faded as she lightly tapped her chin.

"Joking aside, it is a bit strange for Ruby to disappear on us in the morning. She'd usually leave a note at least." Weiss took look around the bed or desks but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Except Ruby's scroll which lay charging on bedside table.

"And she forgot her scroll," Weiss sighed. "How many times have I told her to carry it with her at all times?"

"She went out last night."

They both turned to Blake who had just finished brushing and dressing; the drowsy look in her eyes were replaced with a serious one. Her arms were crossed.

"No, that can't be right." Weiss bit her bottom lip, staring at the empty bed of her teammate.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Yang said, holding out her hands as if to protest. "Are you telling me that she's been gone since last night?"

"It's possible. It's also possible that she came back when I fell asleep." Blake shrugged. "But I think we should think in worse case scenarios and assume something happened and she didn't." Her amber eyes turned to Weiss who flinched a bit under the hard gaze.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why would she leave in the middle of the night?" Yang asked.

Weiss sighed, drawing her teammate's attention. "She might have been following me."

"That makes even less sense," Yang said, eyes widened. "Why did you leave in the middle of the night?"

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, it doesn't matter. What matters is that I didn't see Ruby at all last night when I was out."

"Ruby's not too bad at stealth though," Yang said. "You might have not noticed her."

"Yes, I know her level of skill," Weiss said. "And I also know I would have been able to detect her last night if she was following me."

There was visible irritation in Yang's facial features now.

"So what does that mean? Did she follow you or not?" Yang growled.

"I… don't think she did," Weiss said, her brows furrowed.

"You don't _sound_ very sure."

"Well, excuse me for not being sure if your sister was stalking me last night!"

"Guys, let's not start fighting!" Blake stepped in between them. "The important thing is that Ruby may be missing. Yang, go find a professor and tell them what happened. Weiss and I will go retrace her steps last night."

Weiss opened her mouth as if to object, before closing it and clenching her fist.

Yang gave a curt nod before running out the door, completely ignoring the indignant cries of the people she barreled through.

Through the open door, Jaune stuck his head. "Something happen, guys? Yang looked pretty serious."

"Ruby's missing," Weiss said stepping out, Blake following right behind her, closing the door behind them.

"What?" Jaune's eyes widened. "Is there anything we can do to help?" He glanced at his teammates stepping out of their room.

"There's nothing," Weiss said, her tone clipped. "We may be overreacting."

"In case we aren't, we'll give you a call if we need to execute a full search party. Till then, this is Team RWBY's problem," Blake said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

With that, Blake turned and nodded to Weiss and the both of them left, sweeping through the hall.

"What's going on?" Pyrrha asked, watching them leave. Ren and Nora appeared behind her, curiously watching the retreating figures as well.

Her leader gripped the hilt at his side, rubbing his thumb on the pommel. An anxious expression controlled his features.

"Ruby might be in trouble guys."

* * *

"You can just ask me you know. I can see you're dying with curiosity."

Emerald held down the urge to show any signs of the surprise she felt and instead chose to bring a piece of toast to her mouth. "If you thought we needed to know the reason, you'd tell us." She took a bite.

"Well if Emerald's not going to ask, I am," Mercury said, smirking. "Last night was pretty unlike you. Why'd you do it?

Cinder only smiled, taking a graceful and painfully slow sip from her teacup.

"Plans changed I suppose, and I've never been one to take the easy path to things."

Mercury rolled his eyes. "Should've known better than to expect a straight answer out of you."

"Don't worry," Cinder smiled. "Answers will come."

"Well, now we have to deal with increased security."

"That won't be a problem. Their definition of… security is laughable."

"Fair enough," Mercury chuckled. Doors to the mess hall slammed open and the group's

eyes fell upon the blond girl who entered. They watched her approach a professor with green hair and glasses whisper something into his ear. Together, they left the hall.

"Do you want me to follow them?" Mercury asked.

Cinder nodded and he stood up from the table, casually leaving the hall.

Her gaze turned to Emerald, dutifully eating her toast.

"And how was your night Emerald?" she asked.

"Successful."

Cinder smiled, clasping her hands together as she leaned onto the table. "Wonderful."

* * *

"Are you sure that's it?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

Blake's eyes scanned the corridors, scouring every detail for any clues. Silence passed as she followed.

"Nothing," she said. "Everything looks normal."

Weiss sighed. "We need to think this through a bit more. So you're sure that Ruby went after me last night?"

"Yeah, I saw her leave just seconds after you did."

"Why were you up so late anyway?"

"Reading."

"Of course."

Some more silence passed as they walked before Weiss spoke again. "Are you always up so late?"

"Sometimes," Blake said.

"Have you…" Weiss looked away. "Never mind."

"Have I ever seen you sneak out before?" Blake finished for her.

Weiss scowled.

"The answer is yes," Blake said. More silence. Weiss licked her lips.

"...why haven't you ever ask me what I was doing?" Weiss finally asked.

"Because," Blake stopped. "It was none of my business."

Weiss didn't respond. She just stared back, her expression unreadable.

"Until now," Blake continued. "Did whatever you were doing have something to do with Ruby's disappearance?"

"No!" Weiss said, visibly horrified. "I don't know what you're trying to suggest Blake but I really had no idea she was following me last night."

"I'm sorry," Blake said, lowering her eyes. "I didn't mean accuse you."

"No, it's fine. I can see why I look so suspicious," Weiss sighed. "I just didn't expect my little night wanderings to become such a big deal." There was hesitance, but Weiss continued. "Sometimes… I can't sleep. So I go out to this hall and I practice till I can." A noticeably visible red hue creeped into her cheeks.

"That's… surprisingly normal," Blake answered, a brow cocked and the tension she didn't know had built up, loosened up in her shoulders.

"Did you expect I was murdering people and hiding their bodies?" Weiss glared.

"No, no, nothing like that," Blake said, shaking her head. "Just… I thought it was something that would explain why you're acting all embarrassed about it."

"I'm not embarrassed!" Weiss quickly yelled. Teams passing by gave them an odd look. With an 'ugh!', Weiss dragged Blake to an isolated corner. "Look, don't you think it's a bit selfish of me to be sneaking out by myself just because I can't sleep?" she whispered harshly.

Blake thought for a bit. "No, not really."

"Even though the whole team would be punished if I got caught?"

"If I cared about that, I would have stopped you before you left."

With a humph, Weiss turned around. "You're impossible. I for one, would be extremely miffed if my teammates were skulking around and risk the team to detentions simply because they couldn't _sleep_."

"Well good thing I'm not you then," Blake replied. Two beeps, identically timed caught their attentions and they brought out their scrolls.

 **YANG: COME TO OZPINS OFFICE ASAP**

They looked at each and nodded.

* * *

Darkness. That's what greeted her as she opened her eyes. There was a dull ache in her head, beating to the tune of her heart and making her want to throw up. The ground was cold and hard, sucking the warmth out of her and making her shiver. She tried to move but found her arms tightly bound behind her, and her legs were bound together at the ankles. The light sounds of metal clinks greeted her ears with every limited move she made and she squirmed around viciously, trying to get a hold of her bearings. As her eyes adjusted, she saw the small pinpricks of light shining down from the ceiling, high above her.

"Hello?"

Her voice echoed in the cavernous building. There was no response. But there was a sound, faint but constant. The girl concentrated on it, her brows knitted endearingly as she strained her ears.

"Is- is that the ocean?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: If you see any errors, please point them out. Oh, and anyone wants to be a proofreader for this story, just PM me or something.**

 **Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!  
**


	3. Don't Leave

" _Mama?" Little hands slipped under the blankets, gently pushing on the woman's back. "Mama, are you awake?"_

 _The woman stirred, slowly turning her body to look at the little girl barely tall enough to peek over the height of the bed._

" _Mm… what's wrong, Ruby?"_

" _I- I can't sleep."_

 _The woman's sleep addled brain paused to process the words. Then her face broke into a gentle smile and she slided her hands under the girl's arms, pulling her into the warm bed. Her husband lay snoring obliviously beside her, only pausing to grunt and scratch his nose._

 _Small arms wrapped tightly around the woman's lithe frame and that's when she noticed the trembling._

" _Ruby, did you have a bad dream?"_

 _The little girl shook her head, clinging more fiercely to the woman's embrace._

" _Then what happened?"_

" _I can't go to sleep. I'm scared, mama."_

 _Wide, pale eyes looked up to her in the darkness, tears beginning to overflow._

 _The woman ran her fingers through the girl's hair, and slowly but surely, the trembling began to subside as the girl closed her eyes and pressed her face into her mother's breast._

" _And what are you scared of?"_

 _The girl didn't answer for a few moments and the woman almost thought she fell asleep._

" _The dark," the girl finally answered, her voice muffled._

 _The woman chuckled lightly, causing the girl to pinch the soft flesh of her stomach._

" _Ow, ow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the woman laughed._

 _The girl pouted as she tried to push the woman away but the woman just strengthened her embrace and the girl found herself trapped._

" _I really am sorry Ruby, I didn't mean to laugh."_

" _Mama is a meanie."_

" _Ouch." The woman winced. "Well Ruby, to make up for being so mean to you, why don't I teach you how to fight the dark?"_

" _You can fight the dark?"_

 _Hearing the utter awe in the little girl's voice made the woman want to burst out laughing again but she knew that would just anger the girl and so she held down the urge and just smiled instead._

" _Of course. C'mon, follow me."_

 _The woman left the bed and the girl reluctantly followed, immediately missing the warmth of the bed as soon as her feet touched the ground._

 _The woman walked down to the foot of the bed, the girl trailing behind and she knelt down, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder and pointing at the empty air._

" _Ok Ruby, here's what you gotta do. Look straight into the darkness."_

 _The girl looked at the room, whimpering as she saw the shadows swallowing the man still slumbering in the bed. Quickly, she turned to the woman and hugged her leg, refusing to look at it any more._

" _C'mon Ruby, it'll be ok."_

 _The woman gently pried the girl off her leg and gave her a hug._

" _I'll do it with you."_

 _The girl slowly nodded and stiffy stared back out into the darkness. Her eyes glanced up at the woman who stood up strong and steady, her back straight and her chin tilted upwards. The woman's hands rested at the hips and she looked like she was ready to take on all the evil the darkness had to offer. The little girl mimicked her, keeping a stiff upper lip and trying to keep her trembling under control._

" _Good, good!" The woman nodded approvingly and the girl smiled as she felt fierce pride blossom in her chest._

" _Now repeat after me: I'm not scared of the dark."_

" _I-I'm not scared of the dark."_

" _Louder Ruby, the dark can't hear you!"_

" _I'm not scared of the dark!"_

" _Louder!"_

" _I'M NOT SCARED OF THE DARK!" The little girl screamed and the man woke up,_

 _jumping from the bed._

" _W-what's going on? Are we being attacked?"_

" _Shut up and go back to bed dear, we're just battling with darkness."_

 _There was a pause and the man scratched his head. He stared at the two figures,_

 _standing proud and tall in the dark for a few more seconds before quietly climbing back into bed and closing his eyes._

" _Ok, can you try to be more quiet while you're fighting then?"_

" _Nope!"_

 _The woman turned back to the little girl._

" _Alright, one more time for good measure."_

" _I AM NOT SCARED OF THE DARK!"_

" _Good! Now yell: "THE DARK IS SCARED OF ME!"_

" _The dark is scared of me?"_

" _Don't ask it Ruby, yell it."_

" _THE DARK IS SCARED OF ME!"_

" _Great! One more time!"_

" _THE DARK IS SCARED OF ME!"_

 _The girl was breathing heavily now, her posture beginning to sag._

" _Don't let up just yet Ruby, straighten up! The battle isn't over!"_

 _The girl immediately puffed out her chest again, her brows furrowed in determination._

" _Now yell: IF YOU'RE NOT A COWARD, COME AND FIGHT ME! AHAHAHAHA!"_

" _Bu-"_

" _No butts, just yell it."_

" _I-IF YOU'RE NOT… A COWARD, COME AND FIGHT ME! A-HAH- AHAHAHA!"_

 _Silence._

 _Ruby flinched as the woman clapped her back._

" _And that's it! You won!"_

" _Mama…"_

" _Yes, Ruby?"_

" _That was dumb."_

" _Pfft!"_

 _The woman turned a glare at the man who was lying down, his eyes closed as though slept, but the big, silly grin on his face gave him away._

 _She sighed and turned back to the girl watching her with big, unsatisfied eyes._

" _How was that dumb?"_

" _Where are the swords? And the booms?"_

" _You've been watching your father and sister way too much."_

" _I want to learn how to fight too!"_

" _You're too young Ruby."_

" _Yang is only two years older than me! And dad teaches her so many cool things. I want you to teach me too!"_

 _The woman sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Maybe when you're your sister's age then."_

" _But I wanna learn now!"_

" _Ruby, I want you to listen to me very carefully."_

 _The woman cupped the girl's face into her palms and gently forced her to look into her eyes. The girl's eyes widened. It was rare to see the woman look so serious._

" _Not all fights are with weapons and explosions. Sometimes, fighting involves more than hacking at some monster with a sword. I know we're not the best example as a family but it's something you need to learn. Do you understand, Ruby?"_

" _No, not really..."_

 _The woman smiled and pulled the girl into a tight hug. "That's fine. We have time. Just… think about it, ok?'_

 _The girl nodded._

" _Now, your father and I both have a mission tomorrow so we should get some rest. Do you want to sleep with us? If you're still afraid of the dark, we can protect you from it tonight."_

 _The girl thought for a moment as her eyes scanned her room._

" _Actually… I think I'm ok now."_

" _Oh. Really?" The woman looked surprised. "Did my method actually work?"_

" _No," the girl shook her head. "I just realized I wasn't afraid of the dark."_

" _Oh, what were you afraid of then?"_

" _I was afraid of you leaving."_

"…"

" _But it's ok now. I have Yang and I can be patient. I'll grow up super fast and then when you get back, you can teach me how to fight!"_

 _The woman looked away and in the darkness the girl couldn't see her expression but something seemed off. Her posture lost its strength, and she bent over as if something weighed heavily on her shoulders. It passed quickly though, and when she turned back she wore a great big smile._

" _We're not going to be gone for that long! You still have a few years to go till you'll be ready for my training!"_

 _She lifted the girl onto her shoulders and demonstrating a surprising amount of strength for such a small body, spinned the girl around till she started to break into a fit of giggles and snorts._

 _The woman dropped the girl onto the man who gasped as the sudden weight onto his stomach knocked the breath out of him. The girl kept giggling and snuggled up to him as he laughed and wrapped his large arms around her. The woman left the room and a few seconds later, carried in a struggling older girl with wild blond hair._

" _Family bonding time!" the woman announced and threw the blond girl into the fray before quickly following behind her, causing more giggles and snorts to ensue._

 _And it was so very warm._

* * *

It was just as the sun began to touch the waters that Cinder arrived at the industrial district harbour. She allowed herself a brief moment to enjoy the dazzling sunset, a soft smile playing on her lips before she strolled over to the cluster of warehouses fenced off with electric wiring and large warning signs posted around the perimeter. A faunus man with untamed, black hair and boar tusks jutting out the sides of his face came out to meet her, not even attempting to conceal his scowl.

She only smiled back as she passed, enjoying how he actually bared his teeth at her, snorting in what he must have meant as a threatening gesture. She chuckled inwardly. If the faunus was really under the impression that sort of behavior was intimidating, she would have to have a proper talk with their leader about external impressions classes. Luckily, he knew better than to stop her from entering and she made her way to the furthermost warehouse; the only warehouse with a visible guard standing at its entrance. He was a dog faunus and if Cinder remembered correctly, he was in his early thirties.

He too, did not look too happy upon seeing her arrival though he did a much better hiding it than the other guard. If Cinder was not such a meticulous observer, she would not have noticed the barest tensing of his jaw and small bob of his adam's apple as he gulped. She smiled.

"So, how does our prisoner fare?"

"She was lively during the morning but she's been pretty quiet the past few hours."

"And you followed my instructions for her not to be freed under any circumstances?"

"Yes," the guard nodded. "But…"

"What?"

"She needed to urinate so…"

He glanced at an empty tin bucket next to him.

She smirked. "And you helped her?"

"No!" The guard was blushing, how cute. "A female guard did."

"I see, and anything else?"

"No, that is all."

That was a lie but Cinder let it pass. She could guess what these soft-hearted guards may have done to ease their guest's stay but it was insignificant at the moment.

"Open the door," Cinder commanded. He nodded and brought out the keys, unlocking an old fashioned padlock and pulling open the rusted doors. They screeched in protest and he winced at the horrible sound that broke the holy silence.

She stepped in, signalling him to follow. The door closed behind them and they fell into momentary darkness before a brilliant red flame burst into life in the woman's palm. The darkness immediately retreated and scattered and the woman walked over to the center of the spacious prison where a girl with dark hair had curled up, her wrists tied behind her. Her ankles were bound together by a thick band of metal that cut into her skin, and was connected to a three foot chain that was bolted down.

As she approached however, something was obviously wrong. A small leather jacket acted as her makeshift blanket, but the girl's attire, which consisted of a pajama bottoms and a kitty cat tank top, did almost nothing to keep the chilled ocean air that had leaked in from the outer world. As a result, her body was wracked with violent shivers. The girl wasn't even conscious; instead, she looked as though she was having some sort of nightmare as her body spasmed in its pathetic attempts to stay warm.

The guard looked visibly pained as he watched, not even attempting to hide his horror.

"Has she had any food or drink today?"

"We gave her some water and bread in the morning."

"And the jacket?"

"...it's mine."

"You're smaller than you look."

The guard said nothing at that.

"If we leave her like this, she'll probably die of hypothermia by morning."

The guard gritted his teeth but once again said nothing.

"Hm, what do you think we should do?" Cinder asked, her expression neutral.

"Excuse me?" The surprise in his voice was clear, and Cinder reveled in it.

"I'm asking if you think she's worth saving? If she were to escape and get to any authority figures of Vale, our current plans would end right there and we would have to quite a detour to get back on track."

"I- I can't answer that question." The faunus lowered his eyes, refusing to look at anything but the ground. Cinder's flame crackled and an ember fell near the girl's head, burning brightly before fading away into nothing.

Cinder tilted her head in an almost curious fashion. "Even though the delaying of our plans could only mean more faunus deaths?"

The guard did not speak. His body did the speaking for him, and his hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as if to draw it. Then, the strength suddenly left him and he shook his head.

"I can't," he said, his voice much firmer than his expression. "She's just a little girl."

It was a bit disappointing but nothing unexpected. Cinder gave a short internal sigh.

"I see. Go and find some food and blankets for her then."

"Yes, ma'am." The guard saluted and ran off.

When the doors closed behind him, Cinder knelt down and placed her free hand on the girl's cold chest. There was an odd sort of humming in the air as her hand started to glow a warm light, weak at first but growing stronger as the seconds passed. The girl's violent shivers began to weaken and her pained expression soon melted off her face. A few moments later, she was peacefully sleeping, her breathing soft and even a small contented smile on her lips.

Cinder waited until she felt the last remnants of the cold banished from the girl's body to lift her hand. The smile disappeared from the girl's face as soon as the warm touch left her, replaced by a creased brow and trembling lips mouthing words Cinder could not hear.

Before she could lean in to catch them, the doors slammed open and the guard came in jogging. His arms held three sets of blankets, a bag of greasy takeout food and a large bottle of water.

He placed the items down by the girl's feet. With a large sweep, he lay down one of the blankets then gently lifted the girl onto it and wrapped her tightly in its warmth. He did the same for the other blankets and soon, she was comfortably cocooned.

He stood back, looking proudly at his work.

"You seem awfully fond of this girl," she stated, nonchalantly.

He flinched, quickly wiping the smile from his face.

"I- I have a daughter her age," he said.

"I see," Cinder said, slowly approaching him. "So you're married then?"

The guard blanched.

"Yes," he said, stiffly. "I am."

"Hm, that's too bad," she purred.

Somehow, she had covered the remaining space between them at speeds. She was just a hair's breath away now, almost leaning onto his chest. Something stopped the guard from stepping back. None of limbs seemed to be listen to him and everything seemed disappear from his sight. Everything except the woman before him, watching him with half lidded eyes.

"Would like to play a game with me?"

Her breath smelled of deadly promises and sweet lies.

The guard gulped.

* * *

Ruby awoke, her eyes moist. She had been dreaming but the details had drained away so rapidly, she couldn't remember any details. All that remained were the feelings of loss and a hole that could never be filled. And a flicker of something else. Something darker.

But now was not the time to think about that. A delicious scent was wafting through the air and her stomach was demanding food with all its gurgling might. Her eyes darted around the blackness, and realizing that was pointless, she turned to her nose instead. She sniffed around the air, and squirmed in a caterpillar-like fashion towards the source of that heavenly smell. When her face smacked into something that smelt greasy and battered, Ruby almost slobbered in delight. It was going to be difficult to eat without the assistance from her hands but she was up to the challenge.

Figuring out how to escape could afterwards.

As she floundered around, trying to use her teeth to grip what she thought aas a paper bag, her head knocked into something… warm and definitely not food.

"Woah," Ruby yelped as she tried to get away from it. After a few harsh seconds filled only by the beats of her heart and her rough breathing, she tried approaching it.

"Er, hello?" She grunted, drawing herself closer. "Helloooo? Anyone there?"

Hating how she had to explore everything with her face, she tried poking it with the top of her head. It didn't move very much and it seemed pretty solid. And there was a strange smell like cooking gone wrong. When she dropped her head down to rest, her neck aching from the unusual strain, her cheek landed into a lukewarm puddle of something. Some of it splashed into her mouth and she screamed.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!" Ruby spluttered, once again forcing herself from the mysterious object. The smell was stronger and once Ruby managed to get over the grossness of the situation, she spat out the remnants viciously, her heart dropping as she recognized the taste.

"Blood," she whispered, her stomach lurching.

"Mister Guard! Mister Guard!" she yelled. "I think someone is dying in here!"

A few tense seconds passed before she heard the sounds of the padlock unlocking, and the doors screeched open. It was dark out and it wasn't till there was a click and a brilliant line of light flickered on that Ruby saw who had came in.

Ruby blushed as she recognized the female guard from earlier who had given her her jacket and helped her with… other things. The guard completely ignored Ruby though and instead ran up to the bleeding person beside her. Ruby turned her neck to get a proper look with the aid of some light now and she froze.

"Jack…" The woman held a hand to her mouth but it could not hide her horror.

It was him. He was the guard from earlier. The one who had given her some bread and water when she said she wanted food and the one who called the female guard when she needed to go to the bathroom.

And he was…

Ruby looked away but the image was burned too clearly in her eyes.

It was too late. No one could survive that kind of wound.

Another guard arrived with a flashlight; a larger man with tusks coming out of the side of his face.

"What happened?" he shouted. Then he saw the body and swore loudly.

"It was her," he spat, approaching the body. Ruby flinched.

"It wasn't me!" Ruby protested. Her voice had trembled and she hated it but the image would just not _leave her mind._

"Of course it wasn't you!" the man snapped. "I'm not an idiot, there's only one bitch who could've done this."

"What do we do?" the woman guard asked, having regained her composure somewhat but still looking deathly pale.

"We go to Adam. We'll show him the body and he'll have to do something this time."

"What if he doesn't?"

"Then he's not our leader anymore."

He picked up the body and headed out, the woman following right behind him.

"Wait!" Ruby shouted but they paid her no heed and the slamming of the door echoed behind them.

"Don't leave me here…" she whispered.

Still burned into her retinas was the sight of Jack, his eyes wide and confused as if he didn't know he was dead.

And as though someone had just _melted_ right through him, his flesh warped and bubbled away from the giant black hole where his heart should have been.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I don't know how limited I am under the teens rating but this much should be ok right? I may have to bump it up in the future because of mature themes and bloodier scenes but for now, I'll see if I can keep to T.**

 **Reviews would be great, since this was a rough chapter for me to write and I'd like to know how to improve it or just general thoughts.**


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